Side plate structure conduit for venting of covered hopper cars



June 2, 1970 F. c. PULCRANO SIDE PLATE STRUCTURE CONDUIT FOR VENTING 0F COVERED HOPPER CARS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2:

Filed Dec. 20. 1967 FIG. '3.

June 2, 1970 Filed Dec. 20, 1967 F. c. PULCRANO 3,515,051

SIDE PLATE STRUCTURE CONDUIT FOR VENTING OF COVERED HOPPER CARS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 6.

FIG. 5.

FIG. 4.

June 2, 1970 F. c. PULCRANO 3,515,051 SIDE PLATE STRUCTURE CONDUIT FOR VENTING OF COVERED HOPPER CARS Filed Dec. 20, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 c. PULCRANO I SIDE PLATE STRUCTURE CONDUIT FOR VENTING June 2, 1970 3,515,051

OF COVERED HOPPER CARS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec.

United States Patent 3,515,051 SIDE PLATE STRUCTURE CONDUIT FOR VENT- ING OF COVERED HOPPER CARS Frank C. Pulcrano, St. Charles, Mo., assignor to ACE Industries, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 692,153 Int. Cl. F24f 7/04; B61d 7/00; B611? 1/00 U.S. Cl. 986 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A covered hopper railway car having a hollow side side plate structure forming a conduit extending along the upper portion of each side sheet for the length of the car. One of the side plate structures has an air inlet with respect to the leading end of the railway car and openings in the side plate structure communicate with the interior of the car to supply air thereto. Air is exhausted from the interior of the car through openings in one of the hollow side plate structures communicating with the interior of the car and thence to the atmosphere from an exhaust opening in the hollow side plate structure. Upon a reversal in the direction of travel of the car or a reversal of the trailing and leading ends of the car, the flow of air through the side plate structures is reversed.

Heretofore, railway cars, such as box cars and refrigerator cars, have been vented to the atmosphere to permit ambient air within the car and to exhaust the air from the car. These prior art vents have generally comprised attachments added to the car or modifications made in the car structure.

The present invention utilizes existing structural members of a covered hopper car as both an air inlet to permit ambient air within the car and an air outlet to exhaust air from the interior of the car. The basic design of the structural members is not changed in any manner and only relatively minor modifications of the existing structural members are made for the air inlets and outlets. The side plate structure of the present invention is secured along the upper marginal portion of the side sheet for the length of the car and is of a hollow air-tight construction to provide an air duct extending the length of the car. The hollow side plate structure extends outwardly from the outer face of the side sheet and is a primary load carrying member. Leading end portions of the side plate structure with respect to the direction of travel may be employed as air inlets and trailing end portions of the side plate structures with respect to the direction of travel may be employed as air outlets. If the direction of travel of the car is reversed or if the ends of the car are reversed, the respective air inlets and air outlets are reversed and function respectively as air outlets and air inlets.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the acompanying drawings, in which several of various possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of a covered hopper railway car having the present invention thereon for aerating the interior of the car;

FIG. 2 is a plan, largely schematic, of the embodiment Patented June 2, 1970 shown in FIG. 1 for aerating the interior of the covered hopper car;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken generally along line 33 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the hollow side plate structures adjacent the upper sides of the car;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragment of FIG. 3 showing a hollow side plate structure and associated means for admitting and discharging air in the embodiment shown in FIGS. l-3;

FIG. 5 is a view taken generally along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the structure shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a section taken generally along line 7-7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a schematic in plan of an additional modification of means for aerating the interior of a covered hopper car and employing the side plate structures in which air is admitted from the leading ends of the side plate structures and exhausted from the trailing ends of the side plate structures;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial side elevation of the modification shown in FIG. 8 and indicating the openings in the side plate structure for admitting or discharging air;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged end elevation section of the filter structure adacjent an end of a side plate structure for filtering the air in the modification of FIGS. 8 and 9; and

FIG. 11 is a schematic in plan of a further embodiment of means for aerating the interior of a covered hopper car in which one hollow side plate structure admits air within the car and the other hollow side plate structure exhausts the air from the interior of the car.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of this invention, and more particularly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-7, a covered hopper railway car is generally indicated 10 and has a plurality of hoppers 12 separated by partitions or bulkheads 14. Slope sheets 16 lead to bottom discharge openings for the discharge of lading. Slidable gravity gate structures 17 control the discharge of lading from the bottom openings. A side sill 18 extends along each side of car 10 for the length thereof. A side sheet 20 on each side of car 10 is secured along its lower marginal portion to adjacent side sill 18. Roof 21 is secured along the upper marginal portions 23 of side sheets 20. Hatch covers 22 on roof 21 permit loading of car 10 with lading.

Reinforcing the upper marginal portion 23 of each side sheet 20 at its juncture with root 21 is a hollow side plate structure generally indicated 24. Side plate structure 24 includes an upper leg 26 secured to roof 21 and forming generally a continuation of roof 21 with an inturned lip 28 secured to the adjacent surface of side sheet 20. A lower leg 30 of side plate structure 24 has a lower marginal portion 32 secured by welding to the adjacent outer surface of side sheet 20. Side plate structure 24 forms with marginal portion 23 of adjacent side sheet 20 a hollow air-tight structure which may be employed as an air conduit.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, the length or section of side plate structure 24 adjacent each hopper 12 has an air inlet chute or scoop generally designated 34 and an air discharge chute generally designated 34A with respect to the leading end of railway car facing the direction of travel indicated by arrow T. It is to be understood that upon a reversal in the direction of travel of car 10 or a reversal of the trailing and leading ends of the car 10, chutes 34A would be the air inlet chutes and chutes 34 would be the air discharge chutes.

Chutes 34 and 34A are generally identical but face in opposite directions. Each chute 34, 34A includes an outer box-shaped section 36 secured to the outer surface of leg 30 and an arcuate deflector or baflle 38 integrally connected to section 36. An opening 40 in leg 30 and an opening 42 in side sheet 20 receive arcuate deflector 38 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 and permit air flow between the interior of car 10 and atmosphere. Deflector 38 includes a lip 44 extending within car 10 to direct the flow of air within the car when chute 34 is acting as an air inlet, and to direct the air from the interior of the car when chute 34 is acting as an air outlet.

To filter the air passing between the interior of the car and atmosphere, an air permeable filter structure generally indicated 46 is positioned adjacent opening 42.

Filter structure 46 includes a rectangular frame 48 having a filter 50 mounted thereon. Frame 48 is secured, such as by spot welding, to the interior surface of side sheet 20 about opening 42 and the adjacent abutting surface of deflector 38. Filter 50 may be formed of a suitable filter material, such as a perforated polyethylene sheet material or a fine mesh wire screen having around twenty-five hundred (2500) openings per square inch. Filter 50 minimizes the escape of lading from the interior of the car and minimizes the entrance of any foreign matter within the car from ambient air or atmosphere. Since chute 34 may act as both an air inlet or air outlet dependent on the direction of travel of car 10, a reversal of air flow through filter 50 aids in cleaning filter 50 and the removal of any adhering foreign matter. To permit moisture or water to drain from side plate structure 24, drainage openings 52 are provided adjacent the lower end of leg as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

As shown in the drawings of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7, each hopper 12 on each side of car 10 has an air inlet chute 34 and an air outlet chute 34A. If desired, a single inlet chute for each hopper 12 could be provided on one side plate structure 24 and a single outlet chute for each hopper 12 could be provided on the other side plate structure.

Referring now to another embodiment of this invention shown in FIGS. 8-10, the open ends of side plate structures 24A act as air inlets and air outlets. A suitable filter 54 is secured across the open ends of each hollow side plate 24A and comprises a fine mesh wire screen to minimize the entrance of foreign matter. A metallic frame 56 about filter 54 may be suitably secured to the inner surface of side plate structure 24A. Openings 58 in adjacent side sheet 20A are spaced along the length of each side plate structure 24A and permit the flow of air between the interior of the car and the hollow side plate structure 24A. If desired, a suitable filter could be positioned over openings 58. To permit one portion of side plate structures 24A to act as air inlet and the remaining portions to act as air outlets, barriers or partitions 60 are secured within side plate structure 24A intermediate the length of car 10A to direct the air inwardly of the car on one side of the barrier. As shown in FIG. 8 with the direction of travel of car 10A indicated by the arrow T, air is admitted from the leading end of car 10A and directed within car 10A through openings 58 on one side of barriers 60. Air is discharged from the trailing end of car 10A from side plate structures 24A on the opposite side of barriers 60. The embodiment of FIG. 8 is especially adapted for covered hopper railway car 10A in which air-tight bulkheads are not provided between adjacent hoppers.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 11, one side plate structure 248 on car 103 acts as an air inlet conduit and the other side plate structure 24B acts as an air dis charge conduit. In the event bulkheads 14B are provided, air is delivered and discharged from each hopper 123. A suitable filter 54B is secured within one end of each side plate structure 24B and a suitable barrier 60B is secured within the opposite end of each hollow side plate structure 24B. It is noted that the leading end of car 10B, with respect to the direction of travel indicated by arrow T, has only one side plate structure 24B open to receive air. Thus, the other side plate structure 24B only acts as an air discharge conduit. In the event of a reversal in the direction of travel of car 10B, the air flow through the respective side plate structure 24B would be reversed. Openings 58B similar to openings 58 in the embodiment of FIGS. 8-10 are provided to permit an air flow between the interior of car 10B and hollow side plate structures 24B.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results obtained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A covered hopper railway car comprising, a side sheet along each side of the car, a roof over the car, a side plate structure extending longitudinally of the car for the entire length of the car along the upper marginal portion of each side sheet at the juncture of the roof with the associated side sheet and secured thereto, at least one of said side plate structures forming with the adjacent side sheet an enclosed hollow space providing an air conduit for aerating the interior of said car, air inlet means communicating with said air conduit to permit the entrance of air Within the hollow side plate structure, means communicating the hollow side plate structure forming the air conduit with the interior of the car to permit the supply of air thereto, and air outlet means to exhaust air from the interior of the car.

2. A covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 1 wherein said air inlet means communicating with said side plate structure comprises an open leading end of the side plate structure, and a filter structure is secured Within said open outer end to minimize the entrance of foreign matter Within the car.

3. A covered hopper car as set forth in claim 1 wherein said air inlet means communicating with said side plate structure comprises a box-shaped chute secured to the outer surface of the side plate structure to direct air within the hollow side plate structure and the interior of the car.

4. A covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 1 wherein the leading end of one side plate structure constitutes the air inlet means and the trailing edge of the other side plate structure constitutes the air outlet means.

5. A covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 1 wherein the leading end of one side plate structure constitutes the air inlet means and the trailing end of the same side plate structure constitutes the air outlet means.

6. A covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 1 wherein the direction of the air flow in the respective side plate structure is reversed upon a reversal of the direction of travel of the railway car.

7. A covered hopper railway car comprising, a side sheet along each side of the car, a side sill extending along the lower marginal portion of each side sheet for the length of the car, a side plate structure extending longitudinally along the upper marginal portion of each side sheet for substantially the length of the car, each side plate structure including an upper portion extending outwardly from the associated side sheet and an integral lower portion extending downwardly from the upper portron and secured to said associated side sheet to form with the adjacent side sheet a hollow enclosed side plate structure, the leading end of at least one of said side plate structures with respect to the direction of travel of said car being an air inlet to permit air to enter the side plate structure and the trailing end of at least one of said side plate structures being an air outlet to exhaust the air from the interior of the car, and means communicating the interior of the car with said respective trailing and leading ends.

8. A covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 7 wherein said side plate structure includes drainage openings to permit the drainage of water and the like from the side plate structure.

9. A covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim conduit and the other side plate structure constitutes an air discharge conduit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

7 wherein one side plate structure constitutes an air inlet 15 413 

